Chp 10 - Local Government: Types and Functions

General-Purpose Local Government

performs a wide-range of functions (Ex: counties, municipalities/cities, towns/townships

Single-Purpose Local Government

specific purpose and performs one function (Ex: School Districts and Special Districts)

Home Rule

broad grant of power from the state to a local government

Three Types of Structures of Municipal/City Government

Mayor-Council Form

Council-Manager Form

City Commission Form

Mayor-Council Form

Executive functions are performed by elected officials. Can be Strong-Mayor-Council Structure or Weak-Mayor-Council Structure. Popular in both large and small cities. In large cities, the clash of conflicts requires a strong leader while smaller cities do not need this. In large cities, a general manager or chief administrative officer can assist the mayor with a large administrative burdens.

Council-Manager Form

Emphasizes separation of politics from administration. City council makes policy while administrators execute policy. Mayor can be directly elected by voters or selected by the council from its membership. Council hires a City manager to handle administrative duties along with the power to make policy recommendations to the city council. Over 50% of US cities use this. More popular in homogenous suburban communities and newer cities in the Sunbelt Region (Ex: Pheonix, San Antonio, and Dallas) Praised for professionalizing city management by brignin in skilled administrators to run things but cricitized for putting too much power with an unelected city manager.

City Commission Form

Legislative and Executive functions are merged. The Commissioners do everything. One of them is designated as mayor to as a formality to preside over commission meetings. Created as a reaction to Mayor-Council Structure failures after a hurricane in Galveston, Texas demolished the city. Because there is a natural conflict of interest in this system and elected officials do not always turn out to be good managers, the popularity of this declined.

Jurisdictional Overlap

multiple local governments within the same territory

Why can Jurisdictional Overlap be an issue for Local Governance

Create coordination issues for local governments

Municipality Incorporation

legal recognition of settlement patterns in an area. Residents petition for a charter of ______ using a referendum after meeting population or density minimums. After the voters approve, the state grants a charter which provides the legal authority to elect officials, levy taxes, and provide services to its residents

Charter

document that sets out a city’s structure, authority, and functions

Strong-Mayor Council Structure

______ is source of executive leadership. Responsible for daily administrative activities, hiring and firing top-level city officials, and budget preparation. Potential Veto power over council actions. Grew out of dissatisfaction with Weak-Mayor Council in late Nineteenth century. Praised for fixing accountibility in the _____’s office, but criticized for concentrating power there as well.

Weak-Mayor Council Structure

Began in colonial period of American history, limits the _____’s role to that of an executive figurehead. Council (mayor is member) is the source of executive and legislative power. Council appoints city officials and develops the budget. _____ has no veto power. Only gains power informally through ceremonies and their personality

City Manager

to appoint and remove department heads, oversee delivery, develop personnel policies and prepares budget proposals for the council along with the power to make policy recommendations to the city council, typically well-paid.

City Manager vs Mayor

Annexation

addition of unincorporated adjacent territory to a municipality

Extraterritorial Jurisdiction

ability of city government to control certain practices in an adjacent, unincorporated area. Can supplement annexation.

County Governments

Special Districts

Established to meet certain service needs in a particular area that the local government cannot or will not provide. Can be formed through special legislation, a local government resolution, or through petition and referendum. Over 90% are single-purpose, but the specific function varies. Natural Resource Management, Fire Protection, Housing and Community Development, and Water and Sewer Services are most common. Can have a large or small number of staff

School Districts

particular type of single-purpose special district. The number of districts have decreased since the end of WWII. Can vary greatly in size between states. In southern states, it’s common to have each county with one district. In northern states, counties may be split up into multiple school districts.

Metropolitan Area/ Urban Area

Federal designation denoting a central city of at least 50,000 people and its surrounding county (or counties)

Micropolitan Statistical Area

federal designation denoting an urban cluster with a population between 10,000 and 49,999, sometimes used for statistical data and federal grant programs

Ordinance

enacted by governing body, it is the local government equivalent of a statute

At-Large Elections

Citywide (or county-wide) contests to determine the members of city council (or county commission)

Perspectives on Local Government and How They Effect Operations

Perspective on Jurisdictional Overlap and ‘Good Governance’ at the Local Level and Its Importance. Give 1 example